Den Meeting - Wednesday December 23rd

We are still planning to have our last Den meeting of the year this coming Wednesday, Dec 23rd at 7pm. Please contact me ASAP if your Cub will not be able to attend this exciting meeting.

Reminders:
If you have any advancements or progress to report (in your Cub manual), please bring it to this last meeting in 2009.

We will have treats on Wednesday!

We will be doing something nice for someone else on Wednesday.

Please bring your Christmas spirit and dress up in something that shares your Christmas cheer.

Examples could be: Reindeer antlers, jingle bells, a festive scarf, a Santa Hat.

Happy Birthday to one of our Cubs

Today we wish a very Happy Happy Birthday to one of our awesome Cub Scouts! I hope he knows who he is and I hope he has a very Happy Birthday!!!

Be sure to figure out who turned a year older today and wish him a Happy Birthday at our next Den Meeting.

A story we read at our Den Meeting

Dear Cubs,
Did you tell your brothers and sisters about the founder of Scouting, Baden Powell? Here is the story so you can share it with your family.

Baden-Powell – An Artist Scout
Alice, Golden Empire Council
Baden-Powell was not only the founder of Boy Scouts – he was also an artist. He made sketches throughout his life – to record a beautiful scene or the detail of a leaf or other natural object. He taught his scouts to sketch details of nature to learn more about the world around him – they
spent part of every day learning to sketch.

At Mafeking, his sketches of the terrain, enemy locations and equipment were invaluable in planning the military campaign – and helped make Baden-Powell a hero! See
www.pinetreeweb.com/B-P.htm Sketches from Mafeking

He also loved drama and theater, so he would take on a “role” and act the part while he made sketches of enemy fortifications. When turmoil developed in the Balkans, Baden-Powell traveled there in disguise as an eccentric lepidopterist (Butterfly Collector). In this disguise he would
walk around the countryside carrying a large butterfly net and sketch pad; eventually he was able to walk right up to the Austrian Fortifications and sketch the layout,
incorporating the sketch into a larger sketch of a butterfly - so he was never found out!

In Germany, disguised as a consulting engineer, he was able to gain access to a restricted area in Hamburg and sketch exactly what he saw. His drawings were so accurate that the
British High Command had no doubt that a massive ship building facility was building a fleet of war ships.

Many of his sketches appear on the cover and inside manuals for the scouts.

Check for other images of sketches made by Baden-Powell at the scouting websites. If you google for art by Baden- Powell, you will discover even paintings and sculpture that
he created!

Dec 09 - Work on this at home - Parents and Wolf Cubs

Advancement possibilities highlighted this month:

Achievements 2b, 4a, 4c, 4f, 5d, 5e, 8a; Electives 11b, 12a

Van Gogh? Rembrandt? Klimt? Who knows what member of this Wolf Cub Scout den is a budding artist. Give the boys a chance to find out by encouraging them to create different works of art. Elective 12a provides plenty of opportunities to unleash that inner Renoir. We worked on this at our first Den meeting of the month and the boys proved to be quite interested and talented.

Wolf Cubs and their families are encouraged to work on the additional achievements and electives that support this theme:
• Achievement 5a, Tools for Fixing and Building: With an adult, visit a local hardware store. Look at and name seven tools. Play the “I Spy” game: to give hints about the object “spied,” describe its features (black rubber handle, long silver cutting edge, etc.).

• Achievement 5c, Tools for Fixing and Building: Help an adult organize the screws in a container or tool box. Learn the difference between a Phillips head and a standard screw. Practice driving a screw and removing it.

• Elective12b, Be An Artist: Make a holiday story card. Tell a holiday story by drawing three cartoons on folded cardstock.

Dec 09 - Work on this at Home: Parents and Bear Cubs

Advancement possibilities highlighted this month: Achievements 3f, 15a, 15b, 16a (partial), 24b; Elective 9a

What fun when each boy has an artist to identify with and learn about! The National Gallery of Art (http://www.nga.gov/) has an index of artists from A to Z. There’s a name for every boy.

Cub Scouts will do a Good Turn this month, visiting others and sharing holiday songs.

Bear Cub Scout families are encouraged to work on additional achievements and electives that support this theme, such as:

• Achievement 9c, What’s Cooking? For many families, cooking together is an art form.
• Achievement 12b, Family Outdoor Adventures. Hikes can be fun in cooler weather. Your local community may have holiday light displays to enjoy.
• Elective 9a, Art: Find a favorite outdoor location and draw or paint it. Cub Scouts can compare the way their favorite places look in winter to the way they look during other seasons.

Source

Work on this at home - Parents and Wolf Cubs

Advancement possibilities highlighted this month:
Achievements 2a, 2b, 2e, 2g, 4f, 7d; Electives 4, 11a, 11b, 17a

This month (November 2009) Cub Scouts will learn more about their country’s flag and how to display it properly. As boys talk about heroes and what it takes to be a hero, encourage
them to find out more about the different kinds of work that people do, for all individuals have the ability to be heroes to others. Perhaps the den will do a service project this month for your community or neighborhood, such as helping an elderly neighbor with leaf raking or yard cleanup, joining a planting conservation project, or making a difference with a litter cleanup project. Your Cub Scouts will be someone’s hero.

Wolf Cub Scout families are encouraged to work on additional achievements and electives that support this theme, such as:
• Achievement 12, Making Choices: Families can discuss any of the different exercises.
• Achievement 9b, Keep Safe at Home: Heroes keep people safe. Keeping safe at home is a good thing for everyone to practice.
• Elective 16a, Family Alert: Families can evaluate the ways to keep safe by being prepared for what to do in an emergency.

Source

Work on this at home - Parents and Bear Cubs

Advancement possibilities highlighted this month:

Achievements 3a, 3b, 3f, 6g, 11d, 24d

A salute shows respect. A salute is a way to give attention to another. A salute is a good thing for a Cub Scout to learn and practice. As boys explore the idea of heroes around them, the obvious focus may be on citizenship. Boys (Bear Cubs - the older boys) will prepare for the den meeting, where they will share their thoughts on America. If certain boys are uncomfortable about getting up and sharing, the den leader could share out loud some of their writings.
Leaders will want all boys to participate in their own way.

Bear Cub Scout families are encouraged to work on additional achievements and electives that support this theme, such as:

• Achievement 3c, What Makes America Special? Exploring older homes near where boys live may reveal that historic heroes occupied these homes.
• Achievement 22d, Tying It All Up: Boys can learn how to coil a rope and toss it with accuracy.

Elective 19, Swimming: Learning the basic skill of swimming will be an achievement with lifelong benefits. Here is info on local pools: Mary Siah or Hamme

Source

Veteran's Day Event 11am on 11/11

The Cub Scout theme for November, 2009 is appropriately: Heroes

Thus, I encourage of all you to attend the Veteran's Day Event tomorrow, Wednesday, Novemeber 11th, at 11am in the Gold Room of the Westmark Hotel.

I have attended this annual event, and feel it is good enough to take your child out of school for an hour in order for him to attend.

The MC is a Veteran and has a Purple Heart, and is an all around wonderful man!

More information follows:

Veteran’s Day Community Event
11am on 11/11/2009
Westmark Hotel, Gold Room, 813 Noble Street, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701-4977

Hosted by: Festival Fairbanks

Speakers:
Colonel Michael J. Jordan, Vice Commander 354th Fighter Wing, Eielson Air Force Base
Colonel Edward B. Daly, Deputy Commander US Army, Fort Richardson

POW/MIA Ceremony
9th Army Brass Band performs at 10:30am
Beautiful display of military pictures, uniforms, etc.
Light snacks (potentially cake and punch)

The Veterans Day ceremony is open to all members of the public
Festival Fairbanks has hosted Veterans Day ceremonies since 1992.

Theme for November

"This month Cub Scouts salute those heroes who help keep us safe and secure each and every day.

Can only adults be heroes? Heroes are often ordinary kids who did something out of the ordinary!

A den can decide what makes a hero and who the heroes of tomorrow might be by looking at people they know today. Learn about heroes in your own community, as well as Scouting heroes who have earned BSA heroism awards.

Have your Cub Scouts invite their hometown heroes to a den or pack meeting. Perhaps your den can become "silent heroes" by performing service for others without seeking any recognition. Visit a fire station, veteran's hospital (Veterans Day is this month), police station, or teacher's classroom and learn about their heroic deeds and reciprocate with a "Scout salute" for their contributions."

Source: BSA National themes by Month

Come welcome our newest Cub

A fun boy is planning to become our newest Cub Scout!

Do you know who he might be?

Come to the Den meeting (on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 7pm) to find out.

Be sure to make him feel really welcome!

CubCast

Want to hear the audio broadcasts from BSA about Cub Scouts?
Cubcast is an audio podcast featuring a variety of how-to and information topics for Cub Scout leaders and parents.

Check it out at CubCast

Midnight Sun Council Monopoly Tournament

Click here for more info

For the Parents

In Cub Scouting, boys and their families have fun and adventure in a program that builds character and instills values. Cub Scouting embraces the values of citizenship, compassion, cooperation, courage, faith, health and fitness, honesty, perseverance, positive attitude, resourcefulness, respect, and responsibility. These values come to boys in all parts of the Cub Scout program—all while they're having a great time with their friends and families. Here is the Main link

About Cub Scouting

Family Program

Program Literature

Activities and Events

Uniform, Advancement and Awards

For Cub Scouts

Cub Scouts do fun things with other kids! They get to wear a cool uniform, go places, and see things. They play all kinds of sports and build things, like race cars and bird houses. Want to learn a secret code? Want to learn about wild animals? Go Cub Scouting!

Check out these informative links for Youth from Boy Scouts of America

Being a Cub Scout

Things Cub Scouts Do

Your Uniform and Awards

Cub Scout Books

Welcome to Den 16's new Blog

Purpose
The purpose of this blog is to keep the Cubs and their parents updated on current activities, events, and interesting news regarding our Den. Cub Scouting is designed to be a Family program. So, feel free to share this and other Cub Scout info with all of your family members that might be interested.

A note about online safety
As online privacy is very important, I will not include personal information about any of our Den members here on this site. Please respect our online privacy, in any comments you might leave on these posts.

A note about comments
Feel free to include questions or comments on the comments forms attached to any of the blog posts. I'd love to have your suggestions!


Enjoy the new blog!
The Den Mother